OpenZeppelin 2.0 is here, and this framework will help reduce your vulnerabilities. What’s new in this release? If you’re new to the world of building smart contracts or a seasoned veteran, where should you go from here? Time to see what’s under the hood in this new release (while we try very hard not to make Led Zeppelin references).

When it comes to smart contracts, can you ever be too secure? The smart contract library OpenZeppelin hit its 2.0 milestone. Its new stable release has some changes that will make smart contract development easier and more secure than ever.

Easier smart contracts

We won’t beat around the bush: writing a smart contract is tough. Writing a smart contract that doesn’t have gaping vulnerabilities is a challenge and requires learning Solidity. Solidity shares some conceptual similarities and semantics with C, and its creators had some inspiration from JavaScript.

Despite the similarities, beware the steep learning curve. Since programming in Solidity is still fairly new, even experts are still trying to hammer out some of the issues and discover where they left a backdoor open.

However, OpenZeppelin makes sure you are not alone on this endeavour and wind up dazed and confused. It is a library that runs on EVM and eWASM-compatible blockchains (these include Ethereum and RSK).

As its name suggests, it is an open source project under the MIT License and can be found on GitHub. According to the Zeppelin developer blog, “The project now has more than 150 code contributors, with many, many more helping with issues, support and reviews.”

If you’re looking for an open source project to climb aboard and help contribute a whole lotta love, perhaps this is the one for you? Have a look at the issue board!

2.0: more secure than ever

With the new stable release, OpenZeppelin 2.0 has some new features and a much higher level of security.

Discovering more

Is it a good time to learn more about blockchain? What about people who are just starting out? It can be daunting to navigate the hype-filled world of blockchain resources. (No, there is no silver bullet; no, blockchain is not magic. But yes, you should learn about the important impacts and strategies!)

The Blockchain Technology Conference comes to Berlin from November 19 to 21, 2018. Featuring sessions and workshops for both newcomers and seasoned veterans of the trade, it offers something valuable for everyone. Need to know about frameworks, Ethereum fundamentals, building a library, or wallets? The program has it all.

Even if you cannot make it to the conference, download the Blockchain Technology Whitepaper for some expert development advice.

Free: Blockchain Technology Whitepaper

If building a blockchain from scratch is beyond your current scope, the blockchain technology whitepaper is worth a look. Experts from the field share their know-how, tips and tricks, development advice, and strategy for becoming a blockchain master.

Sarah Schlothauer is an assistant editor for JAXenter.com. She received her Bachelor's degree from Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey and is currently enrolled at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany where she is working on her Masters. She lives in Frankfurt with her husband and cat.